The city of Dinant, Belgium, was cleaning up Sunday after the strongest flooding in decades the previous day turned streets into torrential streams that washed away cars and pavement, but killed no one.
The flooding followed a two-hour storm, which left streets strewn with debris, wrecked cars and thick mud.
Dinant was spared the deadly floods 10 days ago that killed 37 people in southeastern Belgium and many more in Germany, but the violence of Saturday's storm surprised many.
"I've been living in Dinant for 57 years and I've never seen anything like it," Richard Fournaux, a former mayor of the city on the Meuse River, said on social media.
Rainwater gushing down the steep streets washed away dozens of cars, piling them up at a junction and ripping away cobblestones, pavement and entire sections of asphalt as residents watched in horror from the windows.
There was no precise estimate of the damage, and city authorities only predicted that it would be "significant," according to Belgian RTL TV.
"In less than 20 minutes, the water rushed from up here, then gradually got bigger. It became a torrent and the torrent washed away all the cars," said local resident Pierre Coleau.
Another resident, Andy Martinez, described the damage the floods caused to his home.
"The water came in quickly, both in my living room and here, in the basement, and from the two holes that I have in the alleys. Everything rushed and everything was swept away," Martinez said.
As officials navigate the devastation of deadly floods in Germany and Belgium, experts point to the role of climate change in the heavy rains that triggered the floods. 1:59
The Belgian French-speaking region of Wallonia was hit hardest by a new flood that came just weeks after 37 people were killed in flash floods.
The Belgian weather service RMI predicted more rain and issued thunderstorm warnings for Sunday.
